Rise Up
by Kavbj
Summary: “I want to go home,” he whispered. “Please, with you. I need to prepare myself for all the ‘I told you so’s that are going to come after I’ve slept.” Tala laughed. “Damn straight, pretty boy.” He pulled Kai closer breathed in. “Damn straight…” ONESHOT


**so random its not funny. got this idea in the middle of sose... ugh. haha hmm... right, onwards! slight TalaxKai i guess. depends how you view it**.

**_Rise Up_**

Rei breathed in sharply and scooped down to pick up Drigger, who lay damaged on the ground next to the beydish. Releasing his breath slowly, and hoping to keep his frustration down he turned away from his opponent swiftly and marched down the stairs.

His teammates were glaring at him and he sneered at them. It's not as if they had done much better. They had each lost so far, every single one of them. Diachi and Kai had yet to battle however. There was no way they could pull this off. Thankfully, however, for the charity match, things were being done a little bit differently. Therefore, they each had another shot against the same opponent.

Kai eyed his team sceptically and with a sigh, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Opening one eye so that it was a sliver of crimson, he glanced over at where Tala was sitting boredly in the stands. The redhead caught his eye and shrugged, giving Kai an apologetic look.

"Oi _captain,_" jeered Tyson, forcing Kai to open his eyes fully. "Any advice? We're getting our butts whooped by a bunch of newbies who, and I quote, 'don't seem to be any kind of a threat,'" and at this Tyson glared at Kenny, who whimpered and ducked his head. Tyson's demanding gaze switched back to Kai and the Japanese teen placed his hands on his hips.

Kai stared at all of them, taking in Tyson's stance, Max's furrowed brow, Rei's slitted pupils, Diachi's constant grumbling, Kenny's insistent mumbling, Hilary's tapping foot and smirking, he simply turned his back on them and sat down on the bench. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands. His hands slipped up to press against his temples and his head fell further forward. He did not want to deal with this right now. He was still trying to get over the fever he had picked up two days ago, and the wounds from the street fight three days had yet to heal. He was just grateful he'd been able to crash at Tala's, who had become caught up in the fight in the last few minutes but thankfully, and Kai could put his conscience to ease, Tala had left pretty much unharmed.

* * *

Diachi's turn came and went, with the same disappointing and infuriating results. Kai mentally prepared himself, aware of what was to happen next. As was 'tradition', the 'Breakers seemed to make a direct beeline for Kai whenever they were angry, or something like that, and take it all out on the poor undeserving Russian. Kai snorted and stood defiantly, crossing his arms and waiting for what was to come. As soon as Diachi hopped down from the last step leading to the beydish, voices raised, hurtful words were hissed in the spite of anger and the team turned in on themselves.

"NICE LOSS YOU STUPID MONKEY!" screamed Tyson, leaning down and pressing his forehead against Diachi's, who wasn't one to just stand there and take the crap he was currently receiving.

"LIKE YOU DID MUCH BETTER MR. _WORLD CHAMPION!"_

Tyson reddened and puffed out his cheeks, eyes narrowing in rage. Max swiftly intervened, though even the friendly blonde was yelling today. "SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU! AS PER USUAL, YOU'RE NOT HELPING THE MATTER ONE LITTLE _BIT_!"

Rei was quick to join, then Hilary and finally Kenny. The audience became riled up and fights broke out. With a groan, Kai placed a hand to his forehead and plonked down on the bench. Cameras went off left, right and centre, and Kai was sure his joke of a team, this bloody embarrassment, would be all over the news for _weeks._

Deciding that the, 'heated discussion' as Kenny had so kindly called it, had gone on long enough, Kai stood up, and like the hero he was, quickly stopped the argument.

"That's enough," he growled. "You're embarrassing yourselves, and most of all, me."

Like a pack of wolves, the team turned on him. Blinking, Kai took a defensive step back and tried to block out the obscenities they yelled at him. He had tried time after time to ignore the insults and the harsh words, but it wasn't so easy, and as a result, he could not help but flinch every now and then.

Tala yawned and looked down at the Bladebreakers again. Were they still arguing? Tala sat up alert when Kai sat down, a hand to his forehead. The redhead quickly relaxed when he saw that the younger Russian was only annoyed, and his fever wasn't coming back. It wasn't long until Kai tried to intervene, and the others turned on him. Tala shook his head and clucked his tongue. Spoilt, stuck up, arrogant, cocky brats who he was tempted to slug in the face. His fist curled against his thigh as he leant forward, glaring icy blue daggers at the back of Tyson's head as the Japanese kept yelling at Kai.

Hilary stepped in front of Kai, and much to the bluenette's surprise, was quick to defend him. He glared at the press member that tried to ask him a few questions, and he was quick to switch off the TV cameras shoved in face. No, he was not going to pay to replace that, and to prove his point; he turned his back on them and flipped them the finger.

The opposition was on the other side of the stadium, looking as confused as ever, and Kai shot them an apologetic look. He would have to go talk to the captain later. Pain suddenly racked his thin form and he let out a hiss. Max had fallen against him after Tyson had shoved him backwards. Max growled, and Kai raised a fine eyebrow. He quickly caught the blonde by the collar as he went to lunge at Tyson.

Tyson sneered but was quickly silenced as Hilary slapped him. Oh great, thought Kai as he gently pulled Max back against him. They're getting physical. Shoving Max onto the bench, he yanked Rei back by his hair and forced him to the ground. He grabbed both Tyson and Diachi by the arm and twisted the limbs behind their backs until they too were forced to the ground. He closed Dizzi's lid and snatched the laptop from Kenny's grip. Holding it high above his head, he ignored the mousy haired boy as he attempted to snatch it back. He used his foot to kick Rei, Tyson and Diachi with enough force to keep them down, but not enough to bruise. Laptop still in hand, Kai then turned on Hilary. He slapped his hand over her mouth, silencing her, and used his knee to push against the back of her knees. Her knees buckled and she plopped onto the bench next to Max, who quickly sat back down after Kai glared at him. Kai eyed Kenny and did not release the boy from his gaze until he had gently placed Dizzi on the bench and Kenny had relaxed with a deflated sigh.

The others were quick to protest. Kai clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes closed. He growled low in his throat and told them to be quiet. They ignored him, and turned on each other again. Kai sighed and opened his eyes. Well at least they were staying down, and weren't trying to murder each other anymore. He tried to get a word in but once again, he was drowned out.

"SHUT UP!" he yelled. His team froze, and even the press and the crowds shut up. "I am _sick _and _tired_ of being told that I am not doing something right, or that I can't do something. Look at 

yourselves! You are dishing yourselves the same poison you always feed me, goddammit! So how does it feel, now that you are trying to kill each other over a _beybattle_, and to think I used to admire you lot for your lousy friendship shit. We can still turn this around; we're just having a bad day. So pull yourselves together all right? We. Can. Do. This. We're the World Champions, are we not?"

Slowly, they nodded, muttering their agreements.

"And we took down Bega didn't we?"

This time, the sounds of agreement were louder, positive, enthusiastic.

Kai took a breath and released it shakily. His stomach wound was starting to kill. "So lets do this, alright?" he rasped, annoyed at the sound of his voice.

Luckily, his team were now too pumped to notice. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Tala stand and the words that came out of the redhead's mouth would have left him laughing had he not been in so much pain.

Deciding that they needed one more boost before they were definitely ready, Tala stood and yelled, "GET UP OFF YOUR LAZY ASSES YOU FUCKING IDIOTS! TURN THIS THING AROUND ALREADY AND GET TO IT!" the crowd around him erupted, yelling and screaming, cheering louder than Tala thought humanly possible. He sat down, satisfied as the 'Breakers jumped around, cheering. Finally, now we can get somewhere, thought Tala, and he closed his eyes. Now Kai just has to use his brain and not push himself too far.

* * *

Kai stepped up to the dish, and succeeded in gaining the team's first win, as those around him had expected. The others conceded to have their second matches, each of them pulling off another win to add to the steadily rising tally.

Finally, it was time for Kai's second match. If he won this, they won altogether, if he lost then it was a tie, and they would have to have a tiebreaker.

On DJ's mark, the two captains launched. Kai kept his eyes focused on his opposition's blade, trusting Dranzer to know what to do. He could feel warm blood trickling down his chest from one of his wounds that had reopened on the launch.

The two blades drew in for the first collision, and sparks went off as they pushed away from each other again. The crowd went wild. Finally, they were getting what they had come for.

* * *

The match kept going, and soon both bladers and beasts were tired. The crowd were showing no signs of exhaustion and Tala groaned as they screamed again. Damn Kai for not letting him come down into the actual stadium with him. He would rather sit with the 'Breaker instead of this lot. However, when he heard their voices _over_ those of the fans, Tala quickly thought otherwise.

Kai trembled and shuddered, and his knees shook as he fed his energy to Dranzer, who was still going strong. Unfortunately, so was his opponent. As sweat rolled down his face, Kai brought a pale hand up to wipe it away. Without even needing to touch his face, he could already tell that his fever was back full force. There was a dry cough, and as his shoulders trembled, Kai realised that it was he having the coughing fit.

Stupid drunkards, he cursed. Stupid street fights, stupid, stupid, _stupid_ me! Tala was right when he said I was in no shape to be battling today. Deciding to end the beybattle as soon as possible, Kai fed the last of his energy into Dranzer. _Sleep_ would come sooner if this damn _match_ finished sooner, he reasoned with himself, and ordered Dranzer to take the other beyblade out.

Definition of idiot: _see __**Kai Hiwatari**_, Tala thought sarcastically. The idiot was pushing himself too far. Tala leaned forward in his seat to get a better view of Kai's face. Damn, he couldn't see the bastard clear enough. As if answering his wishes, the screens set up in the stadium suddenly flashed from the match to the bladers. Tala scowled. Just as he had thoughts, the fever was back. There was no other reason for such flushed cheeks, dulled eyes and sweaty skin. The screens switched back to the match, but not before Tala caught a glimpse of Kai going into a coughing fit. Idiot, Tala thought again. He walked out of his row, weaving in between sweaty human bodies, and walked down the stairs. He quickly explained his situation to the security guards there and once they allowed him, he jumped the barrier. Better to get permission than to start an annoying situation. Tala snorted and walked over to stand by Rei, who welcomed him with a toothy grin.

* * *

_Clang… clang…_ the beyblade hit the ground outside the dish. The crowd went silent. The blader looked at his opponent with wide eyes, then his beyblade, then at his opponent again. He smiled.

"Nice match, Kai Hiwatari," he congratulated.

The crowd screamed. The Bladebreakers ran up to their captain laughing and cheering. They had done it, they had pulled it off! Tala shook his head as he watched them run up to Kai. Though the others missed it, he noticed the way Kai grimaced when Max hugged the Russian. They headed back down the stairs, and Kai joined Tala by his side.

"Told you I'd be fine," he hissed, smirking as he whacked the redhead over the head.

Tala rubbed his head and glared. "I never had any doubt that you'd win, I just said it'd be best if you didn't compete today as it wouldn't do you any good. And you can't deny that I was right."

Kai nodded solemnly and when he was sure his team wasn't looking, he rolled up his shirt. His torso was still covered in black and blue patches, and a few of the minor cuts had reopened. Luckily, the major cut above his left hip had reopened slightly, and a small drizzle of blood was running slowly down his hip. Kai let his shirt drop. With Tala's help, he manoeuvred his scarf without having to take it off, and pushed his sleeve to the side. The wound on his shoulder was oozing red blood. Tala gingerly touched it and looked at the warm sticky fluid now coated on his finger. Carefully readjusting Kai's sleeve and scarf, he shook his head.

"Hey Kai!" called Tyson. The two Russians looked over at the Japanese teen, who was standing next to Diachi. "The press wanna talk to us!"

Kai sighed and started heading forward but was suddenly pulled back by Tala's grip on his wrist.

Tala looked him squarely in the eye and said, "Quick, ok? I want to get you back to my place and deal with that fever, and those wounds."

Kai nodded and smiled softly. After all these years, he thought he'd be used to Tala's constant worrying. Guess not, he thought as he seized Tala by the hand and dragged him along with him.

* * *

"C'mon, c'mon," pleaded Tyson, "just one more news channel, please!"

Kai glared at the younger teen, well aware that he himself was receiving a similar glare from Tala. With a sigh, he uncrossed his arms and let up, nodding. Tyson didn't bother thanking Kai, realising he could do that later, and instead he ran off to find someone who would interview them.

He was back in seconds, waving and shouting. "This way! This way guys, near the exit! There's a whole _pack_ of them!" and then he was off again, Diachi and Max following him excitedly. Kai smirked, they were such children. He looked over at Rei, Kenny and Hilary, who were waiting for him and Tala to catch up. The innocence shone through their eyes as well, and Kai felt more protective of his team then ever. He _never_ wanted to see that innocence lost, especially not through the actions of someone else. He would protect them until his dieing day, and even then… Kai curled his bottom lip in and worried at it with his teeth. They would be fine, he knew that. And they had proved that time and time again, so he would continue to watch from the shadows, as per usual.

Tala tugged viciously on his shirt, pulling him from his thoughts.

"You _said_ you would be quick, and then we could go home," Tala hissed angrily. He tugged at Kai's shirt again, "this had best be the last one Hiwatari, or I will knock you out and _carry_ you home, fuck!"

Kai blinked, and found himself being dragged over to the others by Tala, who was clearly eager to get this over with. Kai let out a chortle of laughter.

* * *

"Kai Hiwatari! Kai Hiwatari!" Kai blinked rapidly as the flashes of what seemed a hundred cameras suddenly blinded him.

"Y-yes?"

A young brown-haired woman shoved her way to the front and held her mike out. Her cameraman hung over her shoulder. "Kai Hiwatari, what can you say about your team's performance today?"

Kai sighed inwardly. He had seen this one coming. He stole a quick glance at his team. Each of them was looking elsewhere. Kai scowled, cowards. He looked back to the woman. He opened his mouth to answer but there was a quiet 'excuse me'. Kai went to take a couple of steps forward so that the person could get past but he suddenly found his legs did not want to. Knees buckling, he collapsed forward into the press.

Alarmed cries sounded, and cameras flashed. Kai was dimly aware of someone saying to lay him down, and next thing he knew, his cheek was resting against the cool surface that goes by the godly name of, the floor. He breathed out shakily and looked up, squinting against the harsh stadium lights. Had he really used that much energy during that last beybattle?

He could see Rei, and the neko jin smiled comfortingly. Who the hell were those people in white? Oh, Tyson was shouting again, and so were the others… why did they want the men-in-white to come _this_ way? As Kai glanced around again, blue suddenly filled his vision and he froze. He relaxed when he realised it was just one concerned Max Tate. Speaking of blue, where was Tala? He couldn't see the other Russian anywhere… there were way too many people. Kai squeezed his eyes closed. Everyone was pressing in on him. He never did do well in large crowds. He remembered one time when the Bladebreakers had tried to drag him along to some big fete. Once they had arrived, Kai had 

taken one look at all the people walking shoulder to shoulder, sat down on a near by crate and screamed. Very uncharacteristic, he knew, but the crowds terrified him. Now it was a similar situation, except everyone was crowded around him, pressing closer… and closer… and closer…

"Kai?"

Squinting, Kai opened his eyes again. A familiar silhouette blocked the majority of the harsh light out.

"Tala?" he rasped. He felt nice cool hands press against his cheeks, and he wearily raised his hands to hold them there.

"He's fine," he heard Tala say. "I'm taking him. You medics can go now, thank you."

Tala looked at him and pulled one of his hands free. He slipped it under Kai's shoulders and gently pulled the other into a sitting position. Tala stood, and held his hand out to Kai. Kai looked up at him and smirked. Placing one hand on the ground to support himself, he reached out to take Tala's outstretched hand. Subconsciously, as he stood, he thought about how much of an angel Tala looked, with the lights highlighting his slim form. Once he was up, he was pulled into a warm chest, and cold hands were placed on his cheeks once again. Kai held them there once more, and rested his pounding head against Tala's collarbone.

"I want to go home," he whispered. "Please, with you. I need to prepare myself for all the 'I told you so's that are going to come after I've slept."

Tala laughed. "Damn straight, pretty boy." He pulled Kai closer and breathed in. "Damn straight…"

* * *

**done! ta-ta.**


End file.
